Filling and emptying means and spacing means for a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed

ABSTRACT

A filling and emptying means for a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed. The means comprises a nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end. Said tubular member extends through the wall of said flexible sac with said flange in sealing engagement against the inside of the wall of said flexible sac. The tubular member has a bore therethrough. A body with which the sac is associated has a bore therein for receiving said tubular member. A rod-shaped spacer is positioned in the end of said bore at said flange and projects out of the bore in the direction opposite the direction in which said tubular member projects from said flange. The free end of said rod-shaped spacer keeps the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore during aspiration of the contents of the sac through said nozzle.

Inventor Marvin L. Thornton FOREIGN PATENTS y m 117L107 9/1958 France ZZZ/386.5 Appl No 813,2]2 v Filed Apt 3 1969 Primary lzxammerRobert B Reeves Patented June 1, 1971 Assistant Examiner-Frederick R. Handren Assigns: Geigy Chemical Corporation AttorneyWenderoth, Lind & Ponack Greenburgh, N.Y.

MEANS FOR A FLEXIBLE SAC FOR HOLDING A ABSTRACT: A filling and emptying means for a flexible sac PRODUCT To BE DISPENSED for holding a product to be dispensed. The means comprises a 8 Claims 4 Drawing Figs. nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end. Said tubular member extends through the wall of said flexible sac United States Patent [54] FILLING AND EMPTYING MEANS AND SPACING with said flange in sealing engagement against the inside of the wall of said flexible sac. The tubular member has a bore therethrough. A body with which the sac is associated has a bore therein for receiving said tubular member. A rod-shaped spacer is positioned in the end of said bore at said flange and projects out of the bore in the direction opposite the direction in which said tubular member projects from said flange. The

free end of said rod-shaped spacer keeps the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore during aspiration of the contents of the sac through said nozzle.

PATENTED JUN 1 I97| SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR MARVIN L. THORNTON I, "E WIMP ATTORNEYS PATENTEUJUN 11911 r 3,581,942 same BF 2 INVENTOR MARVIN L. THORNTON ATTORNEYS 1 FILLING AND EMPTYING MEANS AND SPACING MEANS FOR A FLEXIBLE sxc roR HOLDING x rnonucr TO BE DISPENSED I This invention relates to means for filling and emptying flexible collapsible receptacles, for example receptacles of flexible material, such as plastic or laminated sheet material, such as are used for liner bags for other more rigid containers, such as aei'osol cans or paperboard cartons.

1n the manufacture of the collapsible receptacles from plastic sheet material, the most economical way to form the receptacle is to fold the sheet of plastic to form one edge of thereceptacle, and then seal the free edges of the folded sheet to form the remaining edges of the receptacle. When this is done, it is necessary to provide a nozzle through which the receptaelecan be emptied and filled. Such nozzles are known, for example fror'n U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,518 to Scholle. Such nozzles can be inserted through the plastic sheet before the free edges are sealed to complete the receptacle. A flange around the inside of the end of the tube forming the nozzle prevents the nozzle from being torn out of the receptacle when any force is exerted on it.

Such a nozzle is shown in copending application Ser. No. 766,549 filed Oct. 10, 1968, and is described as a coupling 41. In that application, which describes an aerosol dispenser having a flexible collapsible product containing sac out of which said nozzle projects, the outer end of the nozzle is inserted into a bore in an annular body having a hollow interior through which extends a valve stem extending to a valve cartridge containing a propellant. The bore opens into the hollow interior of the body, and the hollow interior is obturated by obturating means which opens the hollow interior to a product passage extending to a nozzle through which propellant is caused to flow. Thus, a product to be dispensed which is contained in the flexible sac is aspirated through the nozzle and the hollow interior in the body through the nozzle.

It has been found necessary to provide on the end of the nozzle within the flexible receptacle means for keeping the wall of the receptacle opposite the wall through which the nozzle extends away from the base of the nozzle in order that the entrance to the nozzle from within the receptacle does not become obstructed when a product within the receptacle is aspirated therefrom. While the above-mentioned application discloses one means for doing this, it has been found that this means is not consistently satisfactory.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a means for fillin'g and emptying flexible collapsible receptacles which can positively keep the wall of a flexible collapsible container away from the mouth of the means which is within the container in such a way that free flow of a fluid product to the mouth of the means is always insured.

These objects are accomplished by providing a nozzle for a flexible collapsible receptacle which comprises a tubular member having a generally radially extending flange at the base thereof adapted to engage against the inside surface of the receptacle when the tubular member extends through the wall of the receptacle. A rod-shaped spacer is positioned in the end of a bore through the tubular member at the flange and projects out of the bore in the direction opposite the direction the tubular member extends from the flange. The free end of said rod-shaped spacer keeps the wall of the receptacle opposite the flange away from the bore during aspiration of the contents of the receptacle through the tubular member.

The invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is-a sectional elevation view of an aerosol dispenser with a flexible collapsible sac having a filling and emptying means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged'sectional view of aportion of FIG. 1 showing a first embodiment of the filling and emptying means of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the filling and emptying means shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4is a sectional elevation view of another embodiment of the filling and emptying means of the present invention.

One particular embodiment of the dispenser with which the filling and emptying means according to the invention is especially useful is shown in FIG. 1. This dispenser has an outer container 1 made of plastic, metal, or other suitable material which has a valve means 2 mounted on the top thereof. The valve means includes a cap 3 mounted on upper edge 4 ofcontainer 1. At its center, the cap 3 has an annular body 5 depending therefrom which has mounted therein a flexible annular gasket 6 just below a central opening in cap 3. Attached to body 5, for example, by having the upper edge formed tightly around a flange on the lower end of body 5, is a propellant cartridge 7 containing propellant 8 under pressure, a great part of which is in a liquefied state. A generally cone-shaped retaining ring 9, held between cartridge 7 and body 5, retains a high pressure annular gasket l1 provided for obturating the flow of the propellant.

Slidably mounted in a bore along the axis of valve means 2 is a hollow stem 12 which has an enlarged portion 13 about in the middle thereof which cooperates with gasket 6 to form a low pressure obturator for the liquid product to be dispensed. In addition, stem 12 has a second enlarged portion 14 at the lower end thereof which cooperates with gasket 11 to form a high pressure obturator.

A hollow interior is provided in body 5 in which stem 12 and enlarged portion 13 move up and down. The upper end of stem 12 projects through the opening in cap 3 and has grooves therealong formed between the splines 120. An annular tube 17 depends from pushbutton l9 and covers the grooves. The grooves open into a space 18a around nozzle 18 housed in pushbutton 19. The hollow center 21 of stem 12 conducts propellant to the rear end of nozzle 18 from radial openings 20 normally closed by gasket 1 I. This valve means is a type which itself is known and is not part of this invention.

The fluid product to be sprayed, here shown as a liquid, is contained in a liquid tight flexible sac 22 which is placed in container ll. Flexible sac 22 is preferably a thin walled type and has great flexibility. This sac can be made of any 'appropriate plastic or other flexible material which will allow the sac to collapse when the liquid is aspirated from it. The sac is preferably formed from a folded over sheet of material and has the free edges sealed to each other, as shown at 23 by sonic welding, heat sealing, or other suitable bonding means.

The valve body 5 has a bore 24 therein extending into the hollow interior 15. Positioned in the upper end of the sac 22 is a filling and emptying means in the form of a nozzle generally indicated at 26. The nozzle is comprised of a tubular member 27 and a radially extending flange 28 at the base thereof. The outer surface, that is the surface facing the direction in which the tubular member 27 extends, bears against the inner surface of the wall of the sac 22, and seals the opening in the sac through which the tubular member 27 extends. This seal is achieved by heat sealing, sonic welding, or by other suitable sealing means.

The tubular member 27 has a bore 32 therethrough. Positioned in the bore 32 at the flange 28 is a rod-shaped spacer 33 having a diameter smaller than that of said bore and supported by a plurality of radially extending webs 34. The end 3311 of the rod-shaped spacer projects out of the bore 32 in the direction opposite the direction in which the tubular member 27 extends from the flange 28. The free end 33b of the rodshaped spacer engages the inner surface of the wall 22a of the sac 22 opposite the flange 28 to hold the wall 22a of the sac away from the bore 32. In this way, when the wall of the sac is held by the rod-shaped spacer, the bore will always be open to allow fluid to fill the bore 32.

It is preferred to have the nozzle made of a material which can be easily molded with the rod-shaped spacer 33, the webs 34 and the tubular member and the flange integral. However, the rod-shaped spacer can be formed separately and force fitted, adhered, or welded in position in the tubular member.

In assembling the dispenser, the flexible material in sheet form has the nozzle 26 inserted through it at an appropriate position, and it is then folded over, and the free edges are secured to each other, by adhesive, welding, heat sealing or other methods common in the art. After the valve means, including the cartridge 7 and cap 3 is assembled, the tubular member 27 is inserted into the bore 24 in the valve body 5. Thereafter, the assembly is placed in the outer container 1, and the propellant and the product to be dispensed are supplied to the cartridge and the flexible collapsible sac through the valve stem and the valve body. Thereafter, the pushbutton 19 is placed on the end of the stem, and the assembly is complete. The rod-shaped spacer 33 will keep the wall of the sac away from bore 32 during aspiration of the product to be dispensed from the sac.

The embodiment of the nozzle shown in FIG. 4 is the same as that of FIGS. 1-3, except that at the free end of the rodshaped spacer is a disc 35 thereon. This disc contacts the inner surface of the wall of the sac 22 opposite the flange 28 and keeps the wall of the sac from being damaged or pierced by the rod-shaped spacer 33 during insertion of the nozzle 26 into the body 5.

It will be seen that there has been provided a filling and emptying means for an aerosol type container with a flexible sac, which has a simple structure for keeping the wall of the sac away from the entrance to the tubular member forming a part of the filling and emptying means, so that the product to be dispensed can be aspirated from the sac.

Whatl claim is:

1. A filling and emptying means for filling and emptying a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed, said filling and emptying means comprising a nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end of the tubular member and a bore through the tubular member, and a rod-shaped spacer having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore and in said bore and projecting out of said bore in the direction opposite the direction said tubular member extends from said flange, whereby when said nozzle is positioned in the flexible sac, said rod-shaped spacer holds the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore in said tubular member.

2. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 1 in which said rod-shaped spacer has radial webs thereon positioning it in said bore.

3. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 2 in which said tubular member, webs and rod-shaped spacer member are integral.

4. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 1 in which the free end of said rod-shaped spacer member has a disc thereon.

5. In combination, a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed, a body with which the flexible sac is associated, and a filling and emptying means for said sac comprising a nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end, said tubular member extending through the wall of said flexible sac with said flange in sealing engagement against the inside of the wall of said flexible sac, said tubular member having a bore therethrough, and a rod-shaped spacer having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore and positioned in said bore and projecting out of said bore in the direction opposite the direction said tubular member extends from said flange, said rod-shaped spacer holding the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore in said tubular member.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which said rodshaped spacer has radial webs thereon positioning it in said bore.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which said tubular member, webs and rod-shaped spacer member are integral.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which the free end of said rod-shaped spacer member has a disc thereon. 

1. A filling and emptying means for filling and emptying a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed, said filling and emptying means comprising a nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end of the tubular member and a bore through the tubular member, and a rod-shaped spacer having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore and in said bore and projecting out of said bore in the direction opposite the direction said tubular member extends from said flange, whereby when said nozzle is positioned in the flexibLe sac, said rodshaped spacer holds the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore in said tubular member.
 2. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 1 in which said rod-shaped spacer has radial webs thereon positioning it in said bore.
 3. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 2 in which said tubular member, webs and rod-shaped spacer member are integral.
 4. A filling and emptying means as claimed in claim 1 in which the free end of said rod-shaped spacer member has a disc thereon.
 5. In combination, a flexible sac for holding a product to be dispensed, a body with which the flexible sac is associated, and a filling and emptying means for said sac comprising a nozzle having a tubular member with a flange on one end, said tubular member extending through the wall of said flexible sac with said flange in sealing engagement against the inside of the wall of said flexible sac, said tubular member having a bore therethrough, and a rod-shaped spacer having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore and positioned in said bore and projecting out of said bore in the direction opposite the direction said tubular member extends from said flange, said rod-shaped spacer holding the wall of the sac opposite said flange away from the bore in said tubular member.
 6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which said rod-shaped spacer has radial webs thereon positioning it in said bore.
 7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which said tubular member, webs and rod-shaped spacer member are integral.
 8. The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which the free end of said rod-shaped spacer member has a disc thereon. 